Wichita Thunder Week That Was — November 7-13

WICHITA, KS – The Wichita Thunder played their first three-in-three of the season this past weekend, taking four of a possible six points.

Friday night, Wichita jumped out to a 5-1 lead but Tulsa used two shorthanded goals in a 25-second span to close the lead to 5-3. Alexis Loiseau and Mitch Holmberg both tallied two goals and an assist. Nick Trecapelli had a goal and an assist, recording his first goal and points of the season. Scott Greenham claimed the victory, stopping 38 of 41 shots. Jamie Phillips suffered his first loss of the season, stopping 40 of 45 shots he faced.

The next night, the Thunder and Oilers played a rematch at BOK Center in Tulsa. It was one of the worst games Wichita has played this season, despite the score. Trecapelli got the scoring going, firing a one-timer from the left circle over the shoulder of Phillips. Tulsa evened up the game at 8:19 of the second as Axel Blomqvist came into the zone up the left wing side and fired a shot past Drew Owsley. After a fight with Martin Nemcik that Emerson Clark won decisively, Adam Pleskach went for a wrap-around attempt that was stopped at the right post, but Tyson Wilson poked home the rebound and gave Tulsa their first lead at 12:15. Clark gave the Oilers a two-goal cushion at 16:43 as he skated along the goal line and lifted a backhand up over Owsley for his sixth of the year.

On Sunday, Wichita got out to a 5-0 lead on Fort Wayne, fueled by Alexis Loiseau and Logan Nelson, who each had a pair of goals. Scott Greenham stood tall in net, grabbing his fourth win of the year. Wichita set a new high for goals scored in a period with four in the second. Tatchell recorded his first goal as a pro. Nick Trecapelli had a pair of assists and points in his last three (2g, 3a).

Join Zach Courter and me before every Wichita Thunder home game this season beginning at 6:20pm for The Sin Bin/Wichita Thunder pregame show! You can tune in on ECHL TV, on mixlr.com or on the Mixlr app for Apple & Android devices, just search Wichita Thunder.

TEAM HEADLINES:

OVER THE MOON – Monday, the Wichita Thunder announced a trade with the Rapid City Rush. Headed to the Black Hills is veteran forward Triston Grant and coming to Wichita is forward Nathan Moon. The Belleville, Ontario native has appeared in 12 games for the Rush this season, netting eight points (2g, 6a). Moon has 227 games of ECHL experience, playing with Cincinnati, Evansville, and Colorado. During that span, he has collected 184 points (58g, 126a) to go along with 370 penalty minutes.

DUNN JOINS THUNDER – Vincent Dunn, a fifth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators (#138 overall) during the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, made his Thunder debut Sunday afternoon against the Fort Wayne Komets, but is no stranger to the ECHL. Last season, he appeared in 55 games for the Evansville IceMen, collecting 27 points (13g, 14a) and racking up 154 penalty minutes which was first in the league last season among rookies. Dunn opened the season with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL, playing in eight games, recording two assists and nine penalty minutes.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK? Alexis Loiseau was named a runner-up for ECHL Player of the Week, after lighting up the score sheet with six points in three games (4G, 2A). Loiseau now leads the Thunder with 14 points (7G, 7A). If you’re curious, the ECHL player of the Week was Justin Buzzeo, who registered nine points (5G, 4A) in four games last week for the Atlanta Gladiators.

HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF? While this rookie-laden team continues to piece together a full sixty-minute effort, Thunder goaltender Scott Greenham has been the calming, veteran influence in between the pipes for the Thunder. In his five starts, Greenham has faced 123 shots, allowing nine goals in the second period or later. After the first period, Greenham has a 1.82 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

BREAKING OUT – Defenseman Nick Trecapelli and forward Logan Nelson are starting to get hot offensively for the Thunder. Trecapelli came into last weekend looking for his first points of the season. He finished with two points on Friday (1g, 1a), scoring the only Thunder goal on Saturday and collecting two helpers on Sunday. Logan Nelson recorded his first two goals of the season on Sunday. He has five points in his last five games (2g, 3a).

SPECIAL TEAMS – The Thunder’s special teams units continue to be a strength for the Thunder. Wichita has power play goals in five-straight games, going 5-for-18 over that span (27.8%). Over the weekend, the penalty kill went 14-for-14 and is ranked first overall in the league (34-for-36, 94.4%).

THE ROAD TO “21” – During the season preview podcast, I mentioned a magic number for Thunder fans to follow is “21,” which represents the number of wins the team would likely need against Tulsa, Missouri and Allen to be significant contenders for the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Here is a breakdown of the team’s record against the Thunder’s three foes, who they will face 42 times during the season: